The hanging gardens and St Nicholas' kirk

The bridge has seen a lot of water pass beneath it in the last week, nuff said.

Castle of Claisdie - east St Andrews cliffs with Deerness in the background

Anyway, for the last week the sun has been shining and the day time temperatures have risen. Bobble hats and muffler have been consigned to the bottom drawer and more and more wildflowers are opening their petals. I've taken groups out to the east Holm / east St Andrews cliffs on three out of the last seven days.  The cliffs are spectacular as they curve sinuously towards the Roseness headland. Some of them are like hanging gardens with carpets of Primroses, Lesser Celandines and Common Dog Violets running down the cliff slopes. The rocks are festooned with Scurvy Grass and we've seen our first Red Campions. Within another seven days the first Thrift will be greeting the morning sun.

We started our walk at St Nicholas' kirk in Holm. Scurvy-grass is in profusion on either side of the road and even in the kirkyard where it gets mown by the grass contractor. The kirkyard is a mass of yellow - Primroses and Dandelions. It's no exaggeration to say that you could take photographs ad infinitum - why stop? - there is an endless supply of perfect flowers, the next one more perfect than the last. And the church makes for some entertaining compositions.

The kirkyard walls are clothed with Sea Ivory - it's so dense its impossible to push your fingers through to

feel the stonework.